Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for a society that doesn’t rely on nuclear power. His announcement stunned some of the political establishment, but it seems in line with Japanese public opinion. A recent poll revealed that 70% supported Kan's nuclear strategy.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said something few expected ever to hear from a Japanese leader: He called for the country to become a society that “can do without atomic energy.” Daniel Aldrich, a Japan expert and political science professor at Purdue University, dissects the statement